Cuadrado signs

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina.

The 26-year-old has joined on a four-and-a-half-year contract, and will wear the number 23 shirt.

Upon signing, he said: ‘I am very happy and thankful for this opportunity I’ve been given. This is a great club and honestly it is like a dream to join the Chelsea family and to know that the manager believes in me. I’m happy.’

The attacking midfielder arrives at Stamford Bridge after five-and-a-half years in Italy, first with Udinese before switching to Fiorentina in 2012 after a loan spell at Lecce.

Cuadrado plays predominantly behind a striker, but he is also comfortable on either flank. Pacy and agile, he is a purposeful attacking threat with an eye for the spectacular.

The Colombian, who has 37 international caps and five goals, was a key figure in his country’s impressive 2014 World Cup campaign. He scored in a group-stage victory against Japan before ending the tournament at the quarter-final stage with four assists, a record equalled only by World Cup winner Toni Kroos.